


In The Warmth of the Stars

by twilitpizza06



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Zelda - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Lon Lon Ranch, Raru
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29823411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilitpizza06/pseuds/twilitpizza06
Summary: After his seven year slumber, the Hero Of Time walks the earth once again. All that he once knew has been glazed over with darkness and despair. The people of the noble land of Hyrule have either fled, hid, or were killed in the upbringing of Ganon. Fleeting memories are all he has left of his childhood, along with his annoying fairy companion, Navi. On top of that, the sages have been overwhelmed by their own elements, now acting as mere puppets for Ganon. After awhile, the horrors he faces are hitting blind eyes, and little does Malon know, Link means that literally.  All of these characters are not mine, they belong to Nintendo.
Relationships: Link/Malon (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for spiders and implied madness.

  
"Link... Don't be alarmed." These were the first words the young hero heard, making him quite concerned as he looked cautiously around the room. There was a dull throbbing in his chest, as if his body was still recalibrating him after multiple long years of inactivity. Blinking the light and hair out of his eyes, he slowly turned around.   
  
"Welcome back." said a gruff voice from behind him. Link spun around to see an old man in a faded orange robe standing there. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but my name is Raru, sage of light." "And you, young man have lots to catch up on." He laughed, saying "now I can tell by the look on your face that you have absolutely no idea of what's going on." "Take a seat, Hero." he huffed, plopping down on the floor of the vast chamber, robe sprawling out around him.  
  
Link looked around the place, as if seeing it for the first time once again. A distant memory of an impressive cathedral flashed before his eyes. No... This could not possibly be the same place. This place was nothing but a small room in ruins, with boarded up windows and a depressive tune humming in the background. The young hero considered the tune for a moment, as it seemed to grow ever more familiar. With a sudden realization he turned to the old sage.  
  
"It's good you still remember this place. I had my doubts about it" Raru said with a saddened smile. There was something odd about Raru that Link couldn't quite place. He had a big smile but his eyes told a different story, a story of loneliness and hatred.  
  
"Yes, this place was your goal, the thing you unwillingly dedicated most of childhood to. Welcome to the Temple of Time. Once a great place, in the center of a bustling town, now a run-down room surrounded by only the screams of the undead. Come, I'll show you" said Raru, gingerly taking a board off one of the old windows.   
  
Link carefully walked towards the window, taking a mental note of where all the spiders were making their homes. They're more scared of you then you are of them. He repeated over and over again in his head until he reached the old man.   
  
"I see you found my roommates." He said with a smile, looking fondly down at the spiders. He began looking out the window, surveying the land. The lonely wind howled in the square, making a ghostly town seem even more abandoned. A fine layer of dust and soot covered the tops of stores and homes, stretching its grey all throughout the town. What Link at first thought to be statues were actually mummies, or Redeads as Raru called them were screaming into the night, harmonizing with the cool evening wind.   
  
"You see, in the seven long years you were asleep, tragedy struck. Ganon rose, tearing apart the very notion of the once humble kingdom of Hyrule until there was nothing left but darkness and despair. I tried to stop him, I really did. But me and my fellow sages were not strong enough. And you know what's funny?" Raru said, leaning closer into Link, his once cheery smile now twisted with anger. "This, it all happened because of you! _You_ opened the door, _you_ played the song, _you_ grasped the blade, _YOU_ let him in the sacred realm!" The sage shouted, the light of fury and madness glowing deep in his eyes. "And now he has the triforce, and it's all because of you! But guess who was blamed? That's right, me! _I_ was banished here in shame by my fellow sages, never to see the light of day again!" The maddened old sage shook the young hero's shoulders violently until both of them could barely stand.   
  
"I can barely stand the sight of you." He spat "I don't care if you stay here tonight, or leave, but by the morning, I want you out of my temple! And I do not want to see your face again until you've cleaned up this mess you made! Seven long years I've waited here, dreaming of the day you would arrive, so I can leach you of all the hope and happiness I once had!" He dragged Link over to the corner of the room. "I'm sure our precious hero can spend one night alone with the spiders."  
  
The hero decided it was best to stay at the temple at least until the morning, where he could see where he was going. Or, at best so he could see keep tabs on Raru, he thought considering his now sore shoulder. He lay there until he heard the old mans snores then got up, eager to get away from the spider's beady glares. Gazing out the window once again, Link saw some things he didn't quite catch the first time. Now he saw the whole picture, the ominous castle in the horizon, the charming ranch to his left, but the sage was certainly right about one thing, throughout all of it there seemed to be a heavy blanked of despair and hopelessness covering the land of Hyrule.   
  
Suddenly, it all came rushing back to him. He could hear his mother's screams as she ran to Kokiri forest, plumes of smoke and fire gaining on her. He could see himself playing in the evening grass with Saria, his one and only childhood friend. He could feel his fingers dancing across his Ocarina, the gallop of a horse's hoof, the sunlike smile of a young girl. He felt power surging through him as he could see himself opening the gate of time with his three spiritual stones, felt the weight lifting off the blade as he thrust it into the pedestal, heard the screams of Hyrule's poor inhabitants as the Demon Lord stole the triforce.   
  
"I really owe you for your hard work, kid." The demon lord rasped, the light of the triforce glowing bright on the back of his hand.  
  
Link sat up in a cold sweat. Suddenly, he heard an annoyingly familiar voice   
  
"Hey! Link! Wake up! It's almost sunrise, and you cannot let Raru catch you here! Are you even listening to me!?"   
  
The young hero blinked the sleep and dust out of his eyes and sat up. Why am I on the floor? He wondered. Are these really my own memories? And hey, where were you this whole time? He forced himself to stand up, brushing off the dust that had collected on his tunic and hands.  
  
"Yes, those memories are your own. Do you seriously expect me to stay around with a madman in the area? And no time to brush yourself off, we have to _go_!" You can read my thoughts? Link thought   
  
"Yeah, you were assigned a fairy, so we have a special connection, blah blah blah. Same goes for you, you're the only one who can hear or see me. Besides the Kokiri. Those people are creepy. Now off we go!" Said Navi, practically dragging Link out the door.  
  
Scrambling to his feet, attempting to straiten his green tunic he got up and did what he hoped was a dignified strut past the dust covered floors, through the spider's territory, and out the high arches of the crumbling temple. 


	2. The Girl with The Red Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some cussing.

Link was instantly overwhelmed by the outside world. The morning sun shone a little to bright, poking its rays over Death Mountain, the grass was a little too green, attacking Link with its bright color and even brighter smell. There was, however one thing the hero did like. The air. The air was crisp and clear, almost so much so it hurt to breathe in. Link wished he could hug the air, thank it for its unseen beauty but no, he had already failed to do that too many times before he got the Master Sword. 

Suddenly a loud clap came from behind him. A tall vaguely feminine figure stood there. She They? Link thought. Was wrapped up in a sheikah uniform, gauze like substance on their limbs, but supported a bright red eye on their chest. Their face was mostly masked, but shining eyes peaked out from under their mess of hair. 

"I see you've finally awoken. I am Sheik, soul survivor of the Sheikah tribe." Her intelligent eyes scanned the young hero from head to toe. "I assume you are Link, Hero of Time." I am? Link thought. "Yeah. Yeah you are." She said "I heard your hair looked like a sign for cucco burgers." She stated, laughing to herself. "But enough of that, you are on a mission of great importance, and I should probably hurry you along." Slowly, Sheik reached for something on their back. As if out of nowhere, a single golden harp sat in the palm of their hands, shining in the early morning light. 

Slowly, they strummed out the first notes. Like a river's flow, they began to whisk and float together, as if the sound itself was the one kissing the dew onto the morning grass. After a second of this, they signaled to Link to play. He fumbled and grabbed his ocarina from the folds of his tunic. It felt like he was an outsider, watching his fingers prance across the instrument as the beat filled his head and drove his movements. Then there was silence.

"That was the song of Time." Sheik said bluntly. "Remember it as long as you wish to return here. Time grows and fluxes but we will never forget the memory of our younger days. Everyone has their own beat, I recommend finding the one that always let you follow it. May we meet again." They said, tucking their harp back into the folds of their armor. Lightning fast, they thew down a single object. There was a blinding flash of light, and just as soon as they appeared, they were gone. 

He reached over his shoulder and touched his sword, ready incase the light was dangerous. Suddenly he realized that he hasn't actually seen the sword itself since he woke up. "I tried so hard to get this, it better be worth it" he thought. He slowly unsheathed his blade, relishing the satisfying shlink sound it made. Gingerly holding it up to the light, he examined the Master Sword. Its hilt was a deep purple, twisting is rich color all the way up to the blade, where it shone a bright silver, its point elegantly fatal. Link considered the blade for a moment, then swung it in two fast arches. 

"Are you quite done?" Navi said, flying over to him "Or are you gonna waste more daylight?" Link sighed "Well where else are we going to go?" He thought. 

"Well there is a ranch just a couple miles from here, I suggest we leave for there immediately." "No." Link thought forcefully.

"Why, is the great hero afraid of some chickens? A cow? Navi asked teasingly "one of those two" Link thought in response.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me which one?" "Nope" 

"Well we're going to the ranch if you like it or not, so hurry the hell up." Cursing in his head, Link quickly sheathed his sword and jogged after her. The morning sun was quickly rising higher in the sky, heating the ground and giving the world of Hyrule a whole new feel. In the light of day, somehow things didn't seem as bad. Somehow, everything seemed a little brighter. Link knew things totally weren't better, but it was the feeling that counted. 

Link was so lost in thought he almost ran into the wall of the ranch house. For a moment, he considered going back to the Temple Of Time. Whatever he found here would certainly be more terrifying than sneaking around Raru. 

Then he heard the music. It was the most beautiful thing he ever heard, and almost on it's own his feet were moving, moving to the beat of the music, moving with his beating heart. He knew that song, and suddenly it all came rushing back to him. The past hit him like a bullet. 

He was thrust into the past, the cool night air ruffling his light hair. He looked down at his body. Translucent. He thought. Oh. This is a memory. He watched as his younger self stepped nervously and pulled out his ocarina. It shimmered blue, like the light of the starts were infused into a single object. He quietly touched his lips to the ocarina and blew out a single note, pure and crisp, cutting through the muggy summer air. The girl spun around 

"Fairy boy?" She asked, but Link could already feel himself slowly slipping back into reality once again. No. He thought. Keep me there. I don't belong here. Keep me in this memory.

He woke up groggily, head still spinning from his trip to the past. Something isn't right here. He thought. The ground was a little too soft, he sure didn't remember resting his head on Navi, and he definitely did not think he remembered everything smelling like bacon. He patted the ground next to him to just find more fluffiness. He sat up suddenly, looking around the room. He was decidedly not outside anymore, in fact, he was in a bed with a single chair next to it as if someone was wondering when he'd wake up. He carefully peeled off the covers, not wanting to mess up the nicely made bed too much, and found some stairs. 

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a singular room completely inhabited by what where they, cuccos? With a lonely table in the center. Link shuddered, remembering how he used to get chased around by them until he found shelter. Carefully moving downstairs and tiptoeing around the evil chickens, he noticed a note on the table. He began to wade towards it, cringing every time he accidentally brushed against a cucco. Attempting to straiten his now ruffled tunic, he picked up the note. He couldn't read that well, he never really could learn between his quest and having an attention span shorter than his hair, but he tried his hardest to make out the letters as he skimmed the note. From what he could tell, it read: 

Link come get your fucking horse   
-Malon 

No, that can't be right. He thought, rubbing his eyes. 

Link, you've finally came back, meet me in the fields. I've got your fucking horse  
-Malon 

Okay that's more acceptable. Link thought, shoving the note into his gloves and carefully waded around the cuccos and pushed open the door. Link flinched, expecting the blinding noon sun, but instead found an inky black sky, with stars sprinkled all around like an excited baker decorating a cake. He kept staring at it for a moment walking around the field looking up at the sky, hypnotized by the pure darkness. Then something hit him. Literally. What the hell-? Link thought. Then he realized that what hit him was indeed a poll, and took a second to look around.

The ranch was basically one big field surrounded by a fence, with a barn and a house tacked onto the side. Something wasn't quite right, though. The whole place seemed lonely and empty, as if it was more of a memory, a word stuck on the tip of your tongue. Suddenly, he heard footsteps rushing towards him. He felt strong hands grab him and turn him around.

"WHATAREYOUDOINGINMYRANCH" Malon yelled, taking a second to look at Link's face. Malon had definitely changed a lot since he last saw her. Her once cheerful face now was burdened with worry lines, her airy relaxed voice was scarred and shaken. Most noticeable of all was her hair, as it seemed to dance fiery circles around her head. She was also considerably taller, almost more so than Link. 

"Oh." She said "It's just you. I presume you've come for Epona, she's been a little down since you left the ranch and everything turned to hell, but I'm sure she'd be delighted to see you again." She huffed as she crossed her arms in annoyance. "Oh, don't look at me like that. Would you really want to see me if I left you to die for seven years?" Dammit. Link thought. Are you happy now, Navi? He asked, as he stood there awkwardly in the moonlight. 

As a kid, Malon was always one of the first people he went to when he had no where else to go. He remembered her playfully teaching him how to use sign language when words failed him, remembered how he always took Epona and her horse on walks during bright summer days, he remembered all the nights when he hid under her bed when thunder shook the sky and lightning lit up the barn. She was just like him, they both were lost, left to fend for themselves in the cold land of Hyrule. 

He thought about the day he left. I'll be back. He signed. I promise. It was raining that day, and it showed as mud squelched under his boots when he approached the Temple Of Time. Everything was going so well. Link thought. So how could we have possibly ended up here?

"Hey." Malon's sharp tone snapped him out of his thoughts. "Epona's over there." She said, pointing to the stables. Link sighed, pulling out his ocarina and began to head towards where Malon was pointing. It was in that moment Navi decided to show up. 

"Would've gone better with a plan." She said bluntly. I thought you had a plan. He thought in retaliation. "How the hell am I supposed to have a plan?" She asked. "I'm just a fairy, I can't comprehend what could possibly be going on in your brain." Neither can I . He thought sourly as he shoved open the door stable. The room surprised Link by how empty it felt. The room wasn't exactly empty, but the things in the room seemed to wish that it was. In the corner of the room there was a single sleeping horse, it's coat a rich chocolate color, a shock of white going down it mane. 

Without even conjuring a single note, he knew that she was the horse he was looking for. He slowly stepped around the darkened room, careful not to wake her. Gently, he lifted the ocarina to his mouth and blew out the first note. It seemed to shimmer in the cold air as it twisted, one note melting into the others, creating more than a melody, a reminder, a thought, a memory. Link could've kept playing forever, but a warm breath on his arm shook him back to the present. He slowly looked over, tears burning behind his eyes to see Epona staring deep into eyes, her deep chocolate eyes seemed to look deep into his soul, and Link knew that this was the same horse from all those years ago. 

He leaned his head against the horse's snout, wishing he had something to give her, as he stroked her mane until he felt himself drifting off to sleep once again. 

He awoke to the sound of a horse's snort as Epona tenderly got up and tromped over to the stable wall. Link stretched and looked around, remembering the events of last night. Malon. He thought. I need to find her, I need to apologize. He carefully mounted Epona, felt her shifting to support him on her back. She didn't whine, or complain, and secretly he thought she was glad to have his comforting weight on her back. 

They trotted outside and into the early light of dawn. Almost as soon as he stepped outside, he heard Malon's song, the same tune as the one Link had heard earlier, but her version was slower, sadder, and it continued to play, its sound blending perfectly with the feel of the air. Her red hair reflected beautifully of the sunrise, and Link noticed that she didn't look so worried anymore. She looked at peace, her song wrapping around her like a warm blanket, guiding her throughout the grassy field. 

He really didn't want to disturb her, but as soon as she heard the sound of Epona's hooves on the soft ground, her singing stopped and her darkened mood returned. 

"I see you found your horse" Malon said coldly "Lemme guess. Now you're off again?" Malon.. Link tried to sign desperately, hands fumbling over the words. She just turned away. He hated it when people did that. It was like cutting off his ability to speak, as if it was something they could turn on and off at their own will. He started to trot off again when he heard a nasal voice from behind him. 

"You really think you could've gotten away with one of my horses? I know she told you that you could just take her, but I'm not letting you go so easily." Link slowly turned around. There stood a squat little man with beady eyes and a mustache crawling on his upper lip like a malnourished caterpillar. He clapped once, and the gates of the farm closed. 

"Do you think I could've forgotten you?" Ingo asked sinisterly. "You're the little brat who shamed me in a race all those years ago. I let you get away then, but I sure as hell am not letting you get away now." He sneered, plopping down on the damp grass as if he was going to watch a circus attraction. "Go on, try and escape. I dare you." Link desperately turned and faced Malon, but she just sighed and shook her head. 

Epona snorted and reared her head, getting ready to sprint. What the hell-? Link thought, trying to keep his balance as she thrust her full wight forward, her hooves going faster and faster on the squelching mud. What are you doing?? Link thought, as they approached one of the towering fences. We'll never be able to make that jump! But she pushed on anyway as Link hid his face in her mane. For a second, it felt like everything was floating, and he was suspended in midair. A joyous laugh escaped from his mouth as he landed on the ground hard, almost rolling off his horse. 

He looked back at Malon, grinning wildly. I knew Epona could do it. She mouthed, her red hair as fiery as her smile. 

And then he was riding away, away from the ranch, away from the Temple, away from Malon and into the early morning sunset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter, and for everyone reading this chapter as well! Things should be picking up plot-wise soon.

**Author's Note:**

> And that concludes chapter one! This is an ongoing fic, the next update should be sometime soon! I put this in the summary, but I'll say again that these characters belong to Nintendo. I am putting this out on the fourth birthday of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of the Wild, so happy fourth BoTW!


End file.
